And So It Begins
by em-red
Summary: Emily Rosedale is a contestant on the X Factor, and is excited to see where it takes her. Along the way she meets a couple great guys and befriends them, although she can't help but be attracted to a certain guy... LIAM/OC
1. And So It Begins

"Well tell us your name love," Simon called from behind the table, and Louis smiled encouragingly. I smiled shyly, and used my hand to push my bangs back.

"My name is Emily Rosedale, I'm 16 and I work at a convenience store." I replied, smiling at the panel of judges, along with guest judge Katy Perry. They smiled back at me, but they were curious as to what was going to happen. The person before me had simply shouted, and almost made Cheryl choke on her water.

"Well go on, what are you singing for us?" Louis asked, and I glanced at the sound guy who I had handed my c.d. to. He nodded, and I took one final breath before smiling confidently at the panel.

"Gives You Hell by the All-American Rejects." I responded, before Simon made a hand gesture and the opening cords began. I shut my eyes as I started singing, getting into the song.

_I wake up every evening  
>With a big smile on my face<br>And it never feels out of place.  
>And you're still probably working<br>At a 9 to 5 pace  
>I wonder how bad that tastes<em>

_When you see my face_  
><em>I hope it gives you hell, I hope it gives you hell<em>  
><em>When you walk my way<em>  
><em>I hope it gives you hell, I hope it gives you hell<em>

I opened my eyes to see Simon make another hand gesture, and the music ceased. The judges all smiled at me, but I knew that it could have been pity smiles. I swallowed the lump in my throat before Louis began talking.

"Emily, that was amazing. You're young, and I see a bright future ahead of you. I really feel that if you waited another year and made your voice stronger you'd achieve a lot." He said, a sad smile on his face, and I nodded, accepting the criticism and making a mental note to make my voice stronger. Katy just nodded along with Louis, and Cheryl looked at them questioningly.

"Are you mad? Isn't the whole point of this to find raw talent and make it grow? Emily you, my dear, have talent. And you seem like a very open girl, training you wouldn't be very hard. Louis' off his rocker, you're amazing." She said, looking directly at me with a grin, causing blood to rise to my cheeks. I smiled back, and nodded, whispering a meaningful _'thank you '_into the microphone.

"Let's vote shall we?" Simon started, looking at Cheryl first.

"Yes, a million times yes." She replied, sending me a wink, which I chuckled at. Katy bit her lip, staying silent, which she hadn't with the other contestants.

"I agree fully with Louis. You are really young." She stated, and Louis nodded along, which made me smile sadly. I felt the unshed tears surfacing, but I held them back, wanting to appear strong. "But, Cheryl also makes a valid point. You have talent Emily, I can't deny that. So on talent alone, I'll say yes." I grinned at her, wiping away a lone tear that had started travelling down my face. She sent me thumbs up, making me laugh.

"I'm going to have to say no dear. You've got talent but you're so young." Louis said, offering me a sad smile. I nodded slowly, knowing he had a point. All eyes turned to Simon for the final vote. I could hear my best friend sobbing from the side of the stage, knowing they had probably turned the cameras onto her for a few seconds, wanting to see how the votes had affected her.

"You're voice is so raw and emotional. You are so vulnerable when you sing, and I like that. You let us see who you are for a few minutes, and that's a trait not very many people have these days. You are young, and it's going to take a lot for you to prove yourself, but I'm going to say yes. That's three yes', Emily you've made it through to bootcamp." Simon verified, making me grin happily and stare at the ground for a few seconds. When I looked back up again a few traitor tears had fallen from my eyes, causing the judges to smile happily at me. I thanked them again before walking happily off stage.

"EMILY YOU MADE IT!" Kate yelled, running and jumping, pulling us both to the ground. She screamed excitedly in my ear, and I just hugged her, completely overfilled with joy.

Dermot O'Leary helped us off the ground, before pulling me into a hug himself.

"Emily that was amazing, the best today." Dermot complimented me, and I couldn't stop grinning. "How nervous were you?"

"I was going insane up there. When Louis said I was too young I thought that was it, I was prepared for the worse but… This is everything I've ever dreamed it would be. I can't thank the judges enough for that." I replied before I was ushered away after another hug from Dermot. I collided with a taller blonde teenager on my way out, and he quickly righted me with his arms on my hips.

"Sorry, love." He replied with an Irish accent. The number on his shirt showed he was a contestant, and I smiled at him happily, seeing the nerves on his face.

"Good luck," I said, before we smiled again and parted our different ways. Kate tossed her arm around my shoulder, smiling at me happily.

"Girl, we need to go shopping for some hot bootcamp clothes." She informed me, quickly leading me to her car. I cast a look at the other hopeful auditioners, wishing they could have the same kind of high I felt after being approved.

* * *

><p>I arrived at Wembley Arena and cautiously made my way to the place I had been assigned to sleep.<p>

_Cher Lloyd_

_Matt Cardle _

_Emily Rosedale_

_Niall Horan_

I didn't even slightly recognize any names, and followed the signs towards room number 112. What they had done was put 4 cots, a mini refrigerator, a microwave and a radio in each private suite, and called it a bunk. I saw my bunk door was open, and I pulled my bags in, noticing a pretty girl sitting on a cot beside the glass wall overseeing the arena. I hesitantly placed my stuff across the room from her, taking the only other bed beside the clear wall. She smiled at me, before pulling her hair into a ponytail.

"I'm Cher," She broke the silence, looking out at all the camera stuff and the panel desk being set up below us. Boot camp started tomorrow and they were just setting up now.

"Emily," I replied, equally unfocused. I was horrible with names, so she'd probably have to prompt me a couple times throughout the next three days of bootcamp. Both our attention turned to the door as someone cleared their throat. Standing before us was an older guy, wearing a tan hat and smiling shyly. I returned the smile, and Cher offered her name again, trying to start a conversation.

"I'm Matt and I hope I'm not interrupting anything." He replied, setting his stuff on the cot next to Cher's, while offering me an apologetic smile. I took nothing personally and just nodded along. The room was pretty void of conversation, apart from a few comments here or there, and I was perfectly okay with that, using my iPhone to tweet an update, letting my friends back home know how I was doing.

"Anybody know where room 112 is?" A loud Irish voice boomed from down the hall, and we all looked at each other, knowing this would be our final roommate. I glanced at the cot beside mine, knowing I'd be in close proximity with our new roommate for the duration of bootcamp. When I glanced back up at the door, a familiar face was grinning at me.

"Hey shorty! I remember you!" He exclaimed, quickly dropping his bags on the cot and pulling me into a hug, surprising me. I hugged him back gently, the excitement he was portraying made me even more excited.

"And you are?" Cher prompted, causing Niall to release me before taking a seat on his own cot, and pulling me down beside him. I could sense the nervousness behind his excitement, and the burst of recognition must have made him become so friendly, because he leaned over, shyly extending his hand to the two other people in the room.

"I'm Niall and I'm from Ireland." He said, Matt and Cher were quick to offer their names as well, before starting a silent conversation with each other, effectively shutting us out. Niall's attention turned to myself, and I found it hard to look away from his blue eyes and crooked smile.

"I'm Emily, and I'm from here," I replied, smiling as a person off the show came to our door and informed us that it's lights out in ten, and to try and stay in our own rooms instead of socializing with the competition. We all nodded, before Cher and Matt grabbed their bags and headed to the washrooms to change. I grabbed my bag containing my sleepwear, as Niall did the same, holding the door open for me as we exited, in search of the bathroom.

"Here as in London?" He asked, picking up where our conversation had left off. I nodded to his question, as we started following a group of people ahead of us who seemed to know where they were going.

"How does it feel being so far from home?" I asked, glancing up at him due to a small height difference. I was a short girl, standing at roughly 5'1. Niall smiled at me sadly before dropping his gaze to the ground.

"It's hard, but this is my dream. It means so much to me that I made it this far. It can only get better from here I suppose." He replied as we reached the bathrooms, going our separate ways to get changed.

I ignored all the other girls as I pulled on my shorts and tank top, before standing in front of a sink and pulling my blonde hair into a messy ponytail. I used warm water to wash the make-up from my face, and removed my contacts, opting for my glasses instead. I repacked my bag, and made my way out of the washroom, surprised to see Niall waiting for me across the hall.

"Hey, you didn't have to wait for me." I said, regretting the natural look and wishing my hair was down so I could hide behind it. He smiled at me politely, before leading the way down the hall.

"I just finished talking to some of the guys I met in the bathroom, so it's no big deal." He replied, and I nodded gently, allowing a cease in conversation for the remainder of our walk. When we got back to our rooms Cher and Matt were on the edge of their cots, whispering to each other, but took the time to send us a smile before resuming their conversation. I dropped my bag, before falling backwards onto my cot. I lazily pulled my own pillow from my suitcase, placing it over the tiny one provided, and grabbed a pair of socks from my bag, needing them to sleep at night.

"Hey, you brought your own pillow too?" Niall asked softly, grinning as he produced his own pin-striped cushion. I nodded tiredly, before letting out a tiny yawn and curling up underneath the thin blanket at the bottom of the cot.

"It's freezing in here." I whispered, mostly to myself, tugging the sheet closer to my body and curling into a ball, attempting to stay warm.

"I brought a comforter, if you move closer we can share it?" Niall offered, producing a large, fluffy duvet from his bag as well, seriously making me question how he managed to also fit clothes in there. I bit my lip softy, before nodding and scooting over to the edge of my cot, pulling my pillows along with me. Niall dropped the comforter over top of me, before pushing his cot up against my own, and laying down directly beside me. He pulled half the warm material over himself, and within minutes we were both asleep, greatly anticipating the next morning's events.


	2. Bootcamp Day 1

Being up bright and early was never my forte, although after a few calls from Matt and Cher, I was pulling myself out of the cocoon Niall and I had made in our sleep. As comforting as Niall's chest was, today was big day and I needed to start getting ready.

Niall on the other hand, was quite reluctant to get up. Matt and Cher figured getting me awake was enough, and were out of the room once I was on my feet. I was on my own, calling for Niall every other second as I packed a bag to take with me to the bathroom. I tossed my bag over my shoulder, before looking at my sleeping friend helplessly. I used my index finger to push my glasses up the bridge of my nose, before climbing onto Niall's cot, down to my last resort.

"WAKE UP NIALL!" I screamed as I jumped up and down, cautious to avoid his body, not wanting to injure the poor lad. I closed my eyes and continued to bounce, before feeling his arm swing my feet out from under me. I landed in the lap of a grinning Niall, his eyes dulled with sleep but his grin was bright enough to make up for it.

"Why good morning." He said huskily, his voice cracking from being tossed from his slumber. I smiled back, before showing him the time on my iPhone. "IT'S ALREADY QUARTER TO NINE?" He exclaimed, pushing me beside him before jumping from the bed and gathering all the things he needed to get ready. I shouldered my gym bag, and waited at the door while he filled his Nike bag with some clothing, and grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge, tossing me one while placing his own in his bag.

I glanced at the time once more, before sprinting to the bathroom, seeing most of the girls had already finished or left by now. I removed my shorts and pulled on some sweats the stopped at my mid-calf by elastic. I kept on my tank top, and pulled on a black zip-up hoodie before replacing my glasses with contacts and applied a bit of makeup before walking out. I was the last girl in the bathroom, and wasn't surprised when I was met with an empty hallway. I stopped in front of the elevator and pressed the button, patiently waiting for the full cars to come back.

"HOLD THE ELEVATOR!" A British accent boomed from down the hall, before I spotted Niall running towards me, closely followed by three other boys. I smiled at them, and gave them a thumbs up, watching as the elevators both came to a stop at the ground floor.

"Emily, do you know what time it is?" Niall asked, slightly out of breath. I nodded, pulling my phone from my pocket and hitting the lock button.

"Shit, we have two minutes!" I swore, hiking my bag up as it started to slip down my arm.

"Fuck this, we're going to be late. Where's the stairs?" One of the new guys asked with a relavbtively deep voice. I pointed across the hallway to a door with the sign labelled '_stairs' _written boldly across is. The guys started towards the door, as I sent one last pathetic glance at the slow elevator.

"C'mon Em," Niall said, holding the door open for me. Together the five of us ran cautiously down the stairs, only having a few near wipe outs. At one point we almost ran past the main floor but Niall was quick to point out the door with '_Main_' painted across it in white, and we all sprinted towards the stage, making our way down the long rows, all eyes focused on us. I swore under my breath as Simon stared at us pointedly as he began his speech.

"Tardiness will not be accepted. This is your big break, don't screw it up." He called out as we made our way to the back of the pack, before ceasing all movement. Niall hunched over and I rested my arm on him lightly, using him as a support as I tried to regulate my breathing.

"I'm Aiden," The one who yelled at me in the hallway greeted, and I smiled, still taking in huge gulps of air.

"Nicolò," The silent one greeted, offering me his hand, which I shook.

"Harry," The one who suggested we take the stairs with the deep voice said, offering me a smile. Niall stood up abruptly, throwing me off balance and forcing me to fall backwards. I let out a gasp as I was pulled into Aiden's chest, and set back on my feet.

"I'm Emily and thanks," I replied, before paying attention as Simon and Louis stood up, signalling for everyone to quiet down. Niall smiled apologetically, wrapping an arm safely around my shoulders and pulling me into his side, making me lose my balance for the second time, but I quickly caught my own footing.

"If you've made any friends, forget them." Simon said, but Niall's arm remained on my shoulder. I glanced at the guys beside us as Aiden and Nicolò quickly smiled at me, showing that they weren't going to just forget about me. Harry's attention stayed towards the front, but he gave us a thumbs up behind his back.

"Well first of all welcome, secondly congratulations, because somebody out of you lot is going to win the competition this year." Simon said into the microphone, as Niall removed his arm from my shoulder and we all absorbed what Simon said. "There are about 211 acts, by the end of the day, half of you are going home." Everyone remained quiet as reality hit, and we came to grips with the fact that even though we made it this far, we still have a long way to go. "Today, you're going to be put into your catagories, and you're going to sing **one** song." Simon informed, and I bit my lip, hoping to god I got a good song.

"We're looking for somebody amazing, we're looking for a star, so we're only going to pick the best." Louis said, smiling sadly at us. I looked down at the ground, but Aiden grabbed my hand from beside me, silently reassuring me. I gave his hand a squeeze, knowing my nerves usually got the best of me and I just needed to stay positive.

"There are literally no second-chances today." Simon dead-panned, and Aiden squeezed my hand again, before letting go. I took a deep breath, and tugged at my shirt nervously, my hair being in a ponytail so I couldn't run my hands through it, a nervous habit of mine. "Stand out and do the best you possibly can." He finished, and we all clapped, before clearing the stage. The guys sent me a smile before leaving, and I walked into the room labelled **Girls** alone. I spotted Cher in the far corner, conversing with a blonde who looked like she was from the 80's. She sent me a warm smile, which I returned, before I stood in the middle of the room, ready to hear what song we needed to sing.

"You're song is 'If I Were A Boy' by Beyoncé." A man at the front said into a microphone, and I couldn't help the smile from taking over my face. I knew this song well and I felt like my vocals would blend greatly with the tune.

After practicing as a group for a couple minutes, John, the vocal coach, started weaving through the lines, listening to each girl and giving everyone some advice. When he finally reached me, he nodded and I started.

"_If I were a boy, even just for a day._" He raised a hand and I stopped immediately, wondering what I had done wrong already.

"You've practiced this before, haven't you?" He asked with a smile, and I shyly nodded. He grinned at me and nodded, patting me on the back. "Just make sure you don't over-do the chords. They don't want original, they want consistency." He whispered in my ear as he walked on, giving me a wink as he started talking to the next girl. I bit my lip, resisting the urge to squeal, knowing I already was what they were looking for. I made a mental note not to run the lines, before I started practicing, religiously taking sips of water, and never going to my full vocal volume, not wanting to give the other girls an edge on my performance. Let them undermine me, then when I'm on stage I'll blow them away.

The over 25's went on first and I sat in a group with the girls, reading over the lines, burning the lyrics into my brain so I wouldn't forget. One of the other girls told me a story about this guy who calls himself Storm, and that Simon refused to call him Storm. The laugh really helped my nerves calm for a minute, as the groups went on. As the boys left, I smiled at all the guys, and gave Niall a thumbs up, really wishing they all got through, knowing it was unlikely.

Cher could tell I was nervous for Niall, and she quickly told me about how she heard that Katy Perry demanded that one of the guys take his shirt off since he is a lifeguard. I smiled, but I wasn't really in the mood.

This girl walked in right before we walked in, and I couldn't believe how she could treat this so lightly. Soon enough we were called up and I was near the end of line, having to listen to all the other girls totally rock the song, before I finally got up. Chloe was after me, and she completely killed it, her vocals were amazing for even being there right at show time.

We were ushered off stage and forced to wait as the judges came to a decision. Niall waved me over, motioning to the spot beside him.

"How'd you do?" Aiden asked, I assumed they had already talked about their performances amongst each other. I bit my lip, looking at them from underneath my bangs.

"The other girls were really good. It also psyched me out a bit. But I think I did well. At least, I hope I did well." I replied, to which the all nodded, no one reassured me though, because honestly, we were all a little more than nervous right now. The wait was slow, long, and agonizing. Harry tried to cheer us up, but his jokes were only followed by nervous laughter. At one point Nicolò jumped out of his chair and sprinted to the bathroom, throwing up due to stress and nerves. So from then on everyone stayed quiet, anxiously awaiting our fate.

Soon enough we were taken back to our practice rooms and a guy came in and started calling names. We were sorted into two groups and I glanced nervously at the girls around me. Cher stood to my left, clutching my hand determinedly. The 80's girl stood on my other side, a ridiculous fur hat on her head. I knew we wouldn't get along, but I really hoped this was the line that made it through. I noticed the Chloe girl that was late and a few of the better singers in my line. I wasn't getting my hopes up, but I wasn't completely nervous either.

"You are not… Going to be disappointed." Simon drawled, and I started jumping and screaming. I hugged Cher as she cried silently. The screams around us made the unshed tears fall from my eyes and I couldn't remove the grin from my face. I kept my arms around Cher, embracing her tightly, until we finally were ushered off stage. I walked into the waiting room, crossing my fingers behind my back that Niall made it through, and was greeted by the group of boys sitting in a close group.

A few of the other girls started screaming before I could tell the boys the good news, so I just nodded, grinning and crying. Aiden, Niall, Harry and Nicolò all jumped up and wrapped me in a supportive hug. After we let go Niall pulled me into his chest, and I couldn't stop crying. I was just so happy. He seemed to understand, and guided us to the elevators, taking our time up unlike our rush this morning.

When we got into our room, I slowly pulled my gym bag from my shoulders, and dug around for my iPhone. Once I found it I quickly dialed Kate's number, and sat on my cot, watching as Niall did the same with his family.

"I refuse to come pick you up. I will march up to Simon Cowell and tell him they have made a mistake." She answered, determined not to let me leave. I let out a chuckle before the tears started flowing again. "Sweetie, you're crying, honestly, if they are sending you home they are a bunch of assholes."

"No, I made it Kate. I really made it. Our group got cut in half and I fucking made it." I whispered, watching as Niall screamed that he'd made it to his family that must have put him on speakerphone. Cher came into the room, shortly followed by Matt who gave me a thumbs up, which I returned.

"MOM EMILY FUCKING MADE IT! SHE DID IT MOM! DO YOU HEAR ME? NO, NOT A GOD DAMN PIE, SHE MADE IT THROUGH THE FIRST CUTS!" Kate yelled to her mom, who was like a mom to me. Soon she was put on the phone and wished me luck and told me how proud she was. I said good night to Kate, before hanging up and getting my nightwear ready. Cher was quick to follow my lead after making her own calls home, and together we walked to the bathroom, watching as all the rejected acts slowly left the hallway, wheeling their luggage behind them. I suppressed my smile, and saw Cher doing the same. As we entered the bathroom, it was considerably empty, which filled me with a great sense of pride, and a hint of guilt.

I quickly showered, before putting on some shorts over my knickers, and a band t-shirt on top. I put my glasses on and slid on my socks, smiling at the ridiculous bunny head on each foot. Cher was still in the shower when I finished, so I made my way down the hallway alone, but waving to Aiden and Nicolò on the way as I noticed them already in their cots.

When I finally got to my room I was exhausted, and was glad to see a freshly-showered Niall already in bed. He lifted up the comforter in greeting, and I slid in beside him, sucking up any warmth he offered me.

"What a great day." Niall stated, before I drifted off to sleep, knowing tomorrow would be even more stressful.


	3. Bootcamp Day 2

A less rushed morning landed me on a stage surrounded by talented people. Niall to my left, and someone I didn't know on my right. I had no clue what was going on, same as everyone else, but all we'd been told was to wear comfy clothes. Which resulted in me wearing thletic shorts and a t-shirt, my hair in a messy ponytail and my contacts.

"Okay, well first of all welcome back, but more importantly, congratulations." Simon spoke into the microphone, producing a round of applause from us contestants. Niall grinned happily, and I wondered if that boy ever got sad, he is just always happy. "I can see in every category a star in the making, and we've only just begun. That was the good news, now the not quite so good news… Today, you're going to be taught how to dance. This is not going to be a judged section of the show, but be daring, be brave, be unique." Simon stated, before introducing Brian Friedman.

Brian explained what was going to happen, and soon he was in front of us, showing us the steps with two other dancers. I followed the instructions, but every time Niall and I laughed whenever we made eye contact.

They gave us an hour to rehearse, before we'd need to perform in our categories. I saw Harry a few rows over, and he seemed to be getting the dance pretty well. Niall was doing great as well, and I only hoped I looked near as good as the guys doing it.

"Who's that?" I questioned Niall, pointing towards a brown-haired guy in a tight-fitting ¾ length grey shirt and black jeans. Niall shrugged, focusing on his dance, but I couldn't seem to take my eyes off the hot guy.

Everyone was starting to get tired, especially the older people, and I checked Niall's watch, glad that it was time to perform soon.

"Boys," Brian called, and I watched Niall and the brunette at the same time. When it hit freestyle time, Niall killed it, effectively making me and the other contestants laugh. Soon enough they were done, and the lines were switched, bringing Harry closer to me and drawing my attention. It wasn't long before they were calling for a boy named Zayn, and Simon left to go find him. Niall took a seat beside me, and gulped down some water he had grabbed from his bag. We both shot Harry thumbs up as they were forced to remain on stage while Zayn was being found.

Simon soon returned, and Zayn walked to the middle of the stage, earning himself a few short glares from the other guys wanting to just get the dancing part over with. Harry did just as well as he did in practice, but my eyes were on the brunette again, as he was dancing right in front of me. The way he mouthed the counting made me grin.

"Girls, are we ready?" Brian asked, and I walked purposefully into the middle, doing the routine as great as I could and when freestyle time came I pulled some of the moves me and Kate did at some of our high school dances, having no doubt I was acting my age.

Groups went next, followed by over 25s, and I couldn't stop laughing. The older performers really just tried for a laugh, and it worked, Niall could barely breath and I never stopped grinning.

"Okay, I have an announcement to make." Simon said into the microphone after giving us a minute to relax, knowing that the dancing was over. I bit my lip and stared up at the powerful man, wondering what he was going to say. "You know when I said we weren't going to make any cuts?" I felt myself freeze, knowing I didn't take the dancing as seriously as I should have. "I was telling the truth."

"Holy shit," I breathed as Niall let out some shouts of joy and clapped like a maniac. I saw the brunette from earlier clapping happily, his smile as gorgeous as the rest of him.

"So guys, for your final challenge there is a list of 40 songs. You must pick the right song, and you must stand out from the crowd. This is your last chance, don't mess it up, please." Louis said sadly.

"And just to be clear, in the next twenty four hours, more than half of you are going to leave, and the remaining people are going to be the people who come to the judges homes. We've had two hundred thousand people, you are the final hundred, and you're here for a very, very good reason. So this really, really is it, okay? Don't be good, be fantastic. Good luck." Simon said, before putting the microphone down and smiling at us. I closed my eyes, mostly from exhaustion, but also because of stress. I was beyond nervous now, knowing we'd go back to our rooms and the lists of song would be there.

"Oh, and before you go, Simon and I have ordered pizza. You're free to stay here on the stage and enjoy the last couple hours before the most important day of your life so far." Louis called, as the delivery men walked onto stage, holding an insane number of pizzas. Niall jumped and ran towards the food, and I couldn't help but chuckle at his antics.

"You hungry?" Harry asked as he walked up to me, his hair tucked under a beanie. I shook my head, a small smile on my face. He gazed at me questioningly, before nodding and going towards the large crowd surrounding the food. I stayed sitting on my gym bag, watching as everyone interacted, indulging in my guilty pleasure of people-watching. "Here you go," Harry said as he handed me a slice of pepperoni pizza, a grin taking over his face. I shook my head as I laughed, but took the offered slice, not wanting to seem rude. He smiled again, before going to talk to some of the other people.

I spotted Niall talking animatedly with the brunette I had pointed out earlier, and when he caught my stare he winked subtly at me. I just shook my head, knowing Niall was going to find out anything he could about the guy I was interested in.

"Why did the mushroom go to the party?" A guy asked, sitting down on the floor beside me. I smiled at him, and tapped my chin, pretending to think.

"I don't know why **did** the mushroom go to the party?" I responded, never having heard this joke before. He grinned as I played along, and cleared his throat.

"Because he was a fungi." He replied, waving his hand nonchalantly. I cracked up, which in turn made him laugh, and earned us a few weird looks from the other competitors. "I'm Louis and I'm 18," He announced, offering his hand.

"Emily, and I'm only sixteen." I answered, shaking his hand very dramatically and keeping an easy smile on my face. I was about to say something when 80s girl walked by, sending me a dirty look and smiling flirtatiously at Louis. I rolled my eyes and Louis kept a straight face.

"I don't think she likes you very much," Louis stated, to which I laughed, before nodding my head.

"Yeah, I don't know what I did to her… Maybe if I got an afro and some rocker clothes we'd be best friends." I replied, holding a great dislike to this girl whom I had never spoken with. After a few more minutes of talking Louis left to talk to some of his other friends, but not before giving me his number and wishing me luck tomorrow.

I spent the rest of the party talking to a few different people, but no one I really connected with. Soon everyone was leaving for bed, and I was left disposing of their neglected garbage. An older Irish woman, Mary, cleaned with me for a bit, before I saw her fatigued face.

"Go get some rest Mary, I can clean the rest of this." I urged, pulling the empty pizza box from her hands gently and smiling at her.

"Oh dear, I don't want to leave you with this mess alone." Mary trailed off, glancing at the few pizza boxes and napkins left on the floor.

"I'll help her, you can get some rest," Niall said, climbing onto the stage in pyjama pants and a t-shirt. I smiled at him and nodded, bidding Mary goodnight as she took off to the elevator, wishing us luck tomorrow and leaving with her booming laugh filling the empty auditorium. It fell silent as I put the pizza box I was holding in the trash and turning around, finding myself face-to-face with Niall.

Instantly his lips were on mine, and I froze, not knowing quite what was happening at the moment. Niall pulled away soon after, and smiled cheekily at me.

"Sorry, I just had to check." He stated, before turning and picking up the last of the garbage, and throwing it out.

"What?" I asked, still frozen to the spot. Niall chuckled at me, before grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the elevator.

"I like you, a lot, but only as a friend. So I needed to kiss you to make sure. I mean, you don't like me that way, do you?" Niall asked, worriedly. I shook my head slowly, biting my lip.

"No, definitely just friends…" I replied, watching as the elevator doors slid shut in front of us. "That was my first kiss." I mumbled, not quite sure Niall could hear me, but when he suddenly dropped my hand, I knew he had heard exactly what I said.

"Shit, Emily. I didn't mean… God I'm such a dick. I'm sorry, I didn't even think of that, I figured someone that looks like you had obviously kissed someone before. Fuck…" Niall stumbled over his words, apologizing over and over again throughout the elevator ride. I smiled at him warmly, shaking my head.

"It's fine Niall, I'm actually glad that's out of the way. You should feel honoured." I replied, winking at him. He frowned, before pulling me in a hug as the elevator arrived at our floor.

"I'm totally hooking you up with that guy you couldn't take your eyes off of. His name's Liam and I approve." Niall whispered into my ear before leading the way to our room. There was a list of songs on each of our beds, and I quickly scanned, looking for something that might work.

"YES!" Niall yelled, causing Cher, Matt, and me to all jump, startled by his outburst. He looked at all of us and blushed, before laughing loudly. "They have my song on here." He mumbled, making all of us laugh.

One song in particular caught my eye, and I knew I would kill it. I couldn't wait to rehearse tomorrow.

"Bloody hell," Niall whispered as Chloe took the stage. She started singing, and I resisted the urge to flinch. I mean, she had a beautiful voice, but she was trying too hard. The song didn't compliment her voice at all, and from the silent chuckles coming from Niall I knew he could tell too. I wish she would have picked a better song, she had an amazing voice. Her fake eyelashes cancelled any pity I felt for her, and I just tried to get back into the mentality that these people were my competition.

The brunette who I now knew as Liam walked onto stage, and I couldn't wipe the smile from my face, extremely excited to hear his voice. Niall nudged me in the ribs jokingly, and I swore at him, before whispering for him to shut up.

"Hi everybody, how you doing judges?" Liam said while walking onto stage, and I swooned at his deep British accent. The opening chords for '_Stop Crying Your Heart Out_ – _Oasis_' played through the speakers, and Liam looked to the ground, before singing the opening notes.

"Breathe, Em." Niall whispered cheekily in my ear and I blushed, realizing I had been so focused on his voice that I hadn't even remembered to inhale air. When I turned back to the stage he was walking off the stage, smiling slightly. I sighed in irritation at not seeing the last of his performance, but clapped along with the rest of the audience.

Soon enough Cher was on stage, and I knew I was next. I stood shakily from my chair, and accepted a hug from Niall and Aiden, whom had taken a seat on my other side. Harry pulled me into a hug as I reached the aisle, and whispered good luck to me, which I smiled, my nerves becoming uncontrollable.

While I was getting prepared backstage I heard bits of Cher, and knew she would get through, her voice was completely new and putting her own spin on a song was completely original.

I took a deep breath, before I climbed the steps and the bright lights shined down on me.

(_Niall's POV_)

Aiden called Liam over, and he sat in the seat Emily had recently occupied. Greetings went around, with a couple congratulatory claps on the back for Liam. We all fell silent as Emily walked onto the stage slowly, smiling shyly at the judges.

"Hi, I'm Emily and I just really love music, and I know I'm young, but I promise to always give it my all." She said quietly into the microphone, and Simon chuckled at her. That was a good sign.

"What song are you going to sing Emily?" Nicole asked kindly, and Emily laughed a bit, staring at the ground a bit. I nudged the guys, and cupped my hands around my mouth.

"WHOO!" I yelled, attempting to boost her confidence, already seeing the hesitation on her face. Aiden followed my lead and did a fist pump and let out his own yell of encouragement. Harry inserted two fingers in his mouth and let out a really loud wolf whistle. Emily blushed, but she stared confidently at the judge's panel.

"I'm going to sing '_Don't Want To Miss A Thing_' by Aerosmith." She said clearly, before the music started in the background. As she started singing the lyrics my jaw almost dropped. I'd heard her audition, but it was nothing compared to this. Her voice was so raw and emotional, and just the way she kept eye-contact with the judges whenever possible… It was breathtaking.

"Bloody hell," Harry whispered, and Aiden threw his hand back, hitting him as a way to shut him up. We watched till the end of her performance, and she just smiled and nodded, mumbled a quick thank you, and walked quickly off the stage. Everyone in the audience gave her a stand ovation, and Louis even clapped along excitedly.

"Her voice is amazing." Liam stated, to which Aiden nodded feverishly. I was speechless. I hadn't heard her rehearse, but she was such a quiet girl, I expected her to have a soft voice, but it was so powerful. I saw Emily making her way up the steps towards our seats in the back, when a guy in the front row stood and gave her a hug.

"Who is that?" Aiden asked, trying to get a glimpse of the guy, but the seating area was pretty dark. We looked at each other but couldn't place a name to the mystery guy.

(Emily's POV)

Louis finished hugging me, telling me again how amazing I was, before releasing his iron grip. I thanked him and wished him luck, before climbing to the top of the stairs and getting hugged by Harry and Aiden at the same time.

"Bloody brilliant, why didn't you tell me you could sing like that?" Harry asked, pretending to be hurt. I laughed it off, figuring they were all just being nice. Niall gave me a hug, before offering me his seat, seeing as Liam had taken mine. With Liam on my right and Niall on my left, we watched as the next performer came on and started belting out another Lady Gaga song.

"You were amazing, I'm Liam by the way." The brunette beside me introduced himself, offering me his hand. I shook it enthusiastically, and internally swooned at the fact that I was actually holding Liam's hand for a minute.

"Thank you, your performance blew me away as well, and I'm Emily." I replied, and we all continued to watch the acts in silence, knowing that we had just given it our all, and it was all up to the judges now.

**Tomorrow was going to be one hell of a day.**


	4. Bootcamp Day 3

We were woken by a crew member, telling us to pack our bags and bring them with us to the lobby. Today was judgement day and I was a nervous wreck. I took the time to straighten my hair, apply my makeup, and slid into some skinny jeans and a layered tank top. I hugged Cher and Matt, whishing them both luck, before leaving the room with Niall. He had grabbed most of my bags, but I quickly pulled a few off of him, needing to busy myself with **anything.**

Once we reached the lobby, I grabbed my purse and told Niall I needed to go outside for a minute. Once I was in the chilled air, I made my way to the side of the building, and leaned against the wall for a second. I reached into my purse, and pulled out my carton, flipping back the lid and pulling a cigarette and placing it between my lips. I dug around for my lighter, but wasn't feeling it anywhere.

"Need a light?" A heavy accent asked from in front of me, and the smoke fell from my mouth as I was shocked. The dark-haired boy in front of me reached out and caught the cancer-stick before it hit the ground, and placed it back between my lips. Before I could even register what had just happened, he was holding a lighter to the tip, and producing a small flame. I took a few short pulls, and once the smoke was lit he removed the flame.

"Bradford?" I asked lightly after a few seconds of silence, trying my luck at the accent-game. The boy smiled at me, before nodding.

"Zayn, you?" He asked, taking a puff of his own cigarette. I smirked at my own talent, before taking a drag myself.

"Emily." I replied shortly, wanting to get out of the cold air, but also wanting to relieve my stress.

"Nervous?" He questioned, almost half-way done his dart, portraying his own nerves as well.

"Shitting myself," I mumbled, getting a hearty laugh out of the other teen.

"Nasty habit," He commented, taking the last drag off his smoke before tossing it on the ground, and using the toe of his shoes to rub it out.

"Downright disgusting," I replied, letting out a shaky laugh as I disposed of my own smoke as well. He motioned for me to lead the way, and we both made our way back into the front of the building. He returned to his own seat, while I found Niall's blonde hair right where I had left him.

I was about to take my seat, but someone came into the lobby, announcing that our presence was requested on stage. Niall smiled confidently, before standing up and guiding me towards the steps with a hand on my lower back. Harry met us as we climbed the stairs, and intertwined his fingers with my own, bringing us to the line on stage.

"Guys, we've made a couple changes." Simon started, and I instantly bit my lip, nerves going wild. "First decision is, we have raised the age limit from twenty-five to twenty-eight. So if you're under twenty-eight, you are now in the Boys and Girls section. I think it's going to strengthen the competition. Another change, each year six acts will go through to the home visit. That has changed this year, taking into account Cheryl and Danni not being here, we are sending through eight acts. So the odds just got slightly better." He finished, and we all clapped before being ushered back off stage.

"Girls," Dermot called into the crowded room, and I let out a shaky breath, before stepping away from the guys. They all wished me luck, and I smiled softly, prepared for the worst.

"Hey, good luck Emily. I have faith in you." Liam whispered as I walked by him, and he pulled me into a tight hug. I smiled sadly at him, but nodded, knowing the chance of anything I said at this point making sense was slim-to-none.

As we walked on stage we stood in a line, Cher to my left once again, and a girl I hadn't gotten around to talking to on my right.

"The first girl through to judge's house is Katie Waissel, congratulations." Nicole said, and the 80s girl stepped backwards, shock written across her face. I bit the inside of my cheek, mentally counting down to seven in my head.

"Raquel Thomas," Simon said, and a girl whom I'd talked briefly with started crying and walking off stage. _Six._

"Keri Arrindell," Nicole said, and the girl with the big hair grinned as she walked away, but not before jumping in the air childishly. _Five._

"Treyc Cohen," Louis said happily, causing another girl in the line to scream. I clapped along, happy for all these girls, but knowing my chances were becoming slimmer. _Four._

"Annastasia Baker," Nicole called, making another girl cry as she thanked Nicole and went off the stage. _Three._

"Cher Lloyd," Louis said, and Cher started crying silently, while grinning. I hugged her tightly, knowing she deserved this. _Two._

"Gamu Nhengu," Louis called happily, and I clapped along, having heard her sing and knowing that she was especially gifted vocally. _One._

"Only one spot left," Simon said, and I held my breath. "Emily Rosedale."

I froze.

I glanced at all the other girls who didn't make it, and I couldn't help the tears from falling. I covered my face with my hands, and sobbed quietly. When I glanced up Nicole was crying too, while Simon and Louis just smiled at me proudly. I fanned my face with my hands, smiling gratefully at them, before walking off the stage, too happy for words.

As I exited backstage Dermot O'Leary grabbed my hand before pulling me into a tight hug. I couldn't stop the happy sobs. Cher saw me and ran towards me, pulling me to the ground in a tight hug. We took a seat in the room with Dermot, waiting to see who else had made it. I was upset that I couldn't go see Niall, but I would stay right here and wait to see what happened.

The over 28s were next and I hugged Mary as she came happily running down the stairs. She cried with me, and I couldn't explain the joy I was feeling. Next were the groups, and they were the best. They came barrelling off the stage and were screaming, crying, happy messes. I avoided eye contact with the people who didn't make it, not wanting to rub it in.

Soon the boys were up, and Cher and I took refuge at the top of the stairs, waiting to see what would happen.

I could see all of my guy friends in the line, and I prayed that they made it. Nicolo was first, and he was relatively calm about it. I gave him a quick hug, but kept my eyes glued to the stage, not wanting to miss a second. Aiden's name was called and I jumped happily, jumping into his arms as he came to the steps. I just nodded when he looked at me, and he hugged me again, before going to Dermot.

Matt was called soon and Cher and I hugged him at the same time, but I was more nervous as there was only one more boy spot left. I watched as Tom Richards was called, and I felt the tears start. I saw Niall, Harry, Liam, Louis, Zayn and a few of the other guys just looking at the ground in disappointment.

Liam was the first one off, and I couldn't stop myself from throwing my arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. He wrapped his own around my back and I felt his body shake with silent tears.

"Did you make it?" He whispered shakily into my ear, and I hesitated before nodding slowly. He gripped me a little tighter before letting go and continuing on to Dermot. Louis was next and I hugged him as well, before he moved on. Harry came after and he was already crying. I hugged him as well, trying to comfort him the only way I knew how. He left without saying anything, but I knew it was hard. Zayn gave me a nod, but continued on.

Last was Niall.

"Oh Niall," I whispered as I wrapped him into the tightest hug yet, never seeing him this upset. He hugged me back, his tears falling on the bare skin of my shoulder, my own soaking into his sweater. He didn't ask if I made it, and I wouldn't have told him. This was about him.

As each guy got interviewed they all tried to hide their tears, but it didn't take a genius to know they were all gutted. Niall stopped mid-sentence to pull his collar over his face and attempt to stop the salt-water. Once back in the lobby, the guys all started getting their things and were heading to the door when a crew member called everyone back.

"Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan." The guy said, and I watched as all the guys were taken back to the stage. Niall nervously bit his fingers as they were led back up the steps, and I stood in the doorway, confused as to what was happening.

Dermot pulled me beside him, and joked around as we waited for the nine people to come back, hopefully with good news. Suddenly dozens of screams sounded from behind the curtain. I felt my eyes widen as it sounded like a real-life horror movie. Even the guys were screaming. Dermot hugged me, his body shaking with laughter at something I didn't know. A group of girls came down the stairs first and just ran right past us, screaming like a bunch of animals. I watched as the guys came down, all grinning like they won the lottery.

"EMILY!" They all yelled, before pulling me into a group hug. I hugged them back, but was majorly confused as to what was happening.

"Guys, I haven't told her yet, she thinks you are all mad." Dermot called, standing beside the camera that was filming our group intently.

"They've put us in a group!" Louis yelled, and all the guys yelled along with him, before crushing me in another hug. I felt my jaw drop, and as they finally let me go I looked at all of them.

"Are you serious?" I yelled, before jumping up and down and hugging the closest guy, which happened to be Liam. I felt the tears again, and felt the bodies squish us in yet **another **hug.

"You may want to go meet with the rest of the people who made it," Dermot advised, pointing out the doorway the girls had disappeared in. The guys pulled me into the hall, and we quickly made out way to the landing that met between the lobby and the stage.

"AIDEN!" I screamed as we entered the room and I sprinted towards him, jumping into his arms as he spun me in a hug. The guys all plowed into us and we ended up on the floor, not giving a fuck.

An hour later we were all in the lobby, our bags at our sides and our phones being passed around so we all had each other's numbers. When I finally had my iPhone back in my hand, I hugged each guy, and Cher, before walking out into the chilly air and quickly spotting Kate's Honda Civic.

"So?" She asked, frowning as she saw the tear tracks on my face. I took an exaggerated breath, before covering my face with my hands. She immediately pulled me in a hug, and combed through my hair with her fingers. "It's alright baby, you didn't need them anyway. They can go fuck themselves." She ranted, cause me to laugh, which she took as sobs.

"Well it'll be kind of hard to tell them to go fuck themselves when they just old me I made it…" I said, before a scream that ruptured my ear drum was let loose, and I was being lifted into the air as Kate jumped up and down happily.

"I KNEW IT! I TOLD YOU THEY'D TAKE YOU, YOU'RE FUCKING AMAZING!" She screamed, before grabbing my bag and tossing it in the backseat. I settled into the passenger seat, before reaching into my purse and pulling out a dart. I stuck it in my lips as Kate merged into traffic, and grabbed my stash of lighters from the glove box. "You know you have to quit that nasty habit now, right?" She asked me, before rolling her eyes when I childishly stuck my tongue out at her.

"I'd give up everything to make it past the judge's house. Shit, I wonder who I'll get. I hope it isn't Louis, I think he still thinks I'm too young." I mumbled, mostly talking to myself. Kate, who was used to my antics, just turned on the radio and we sung along to her Coldplay CD, extremely overjoyed at today's events.


	5. Judge's House

_Hey, good luck today! x_

I smiled at the text from Liam, having talked to him non-stop since bootcamp. We had talked on the phone a few times, and we were both extremely excited.

_Thanks! Same goes to you and the boys, what are you doing? _

I quickly tapped back, before glancing out the window of the black car that had been sent for me. I tried to figure out where we were, but the back roads we were travelling on gave away nothing.

_Just got off my plane, we're in Spain, you?_

I glanced out the window again, green with envy. Of course everyone else go to travel somewhere fun, and I was stuck in London still.

_Driving the back roads of London, wishing I was in Spain… You lucky boy._

The car came to a stop, and I looked up from my phone to see Coworth Park, vaguely familiar with the area. The driver opened the door for me, and I hesitantly stepped out, catching a glimpse of my reflection in the glass of the mansion.

I was wearing Kate's favourite strapless dress, light blue that really brought out my eyes, and ended mid-thigh. My blonde hair was curled and left cascading down my shoulders, and I wore my lucky pair of ballet flats. The door was opened before me, and I was immediately pulled into a hug by Cher. I realized I was the last girl to arrive, and the cameraman asked us to all go out back, and filmed us as we walked through the park together, wanting to get a nice grand entrance scene.

When it was my turn to walk down the row alone I did an excited little dance that the camera guy loved. We were brought back into the house, and stood in the foyer, and looking up the stairs, anxious to see who our judge was.

As Cheryl walked down the stairs, I clapped happily, unable to wipe the grin off my face.

"Hi, wow, just want to say I am the happiest I can be that I got the girls, and I'm so happy to be back, and I'm really sorry I missed bootcamp. I know you're nervous, I am. I know it's a massive day and a really important day for everyone." Cheryl said. "To make it a bit more special, I brought someone amazing along with us. I don't know if you have any idea who he is, but he's a very good friend of mine and an absolute mega-star, it's Mr. Will.." I stared shocked as the front-man for the Black Eyed Peas descended the stairs. Cher started crying beside me and I wrapped an arm around her, attempting to comfort her.

"What's up girls? I just got to the UK yesterday, Cheryl, we were working in the studio and she asked me to come help her out, and I can't wait to see what you got." He said, and we were brought outside to be asked a few questions so they could tape our responses.

"This is the most emotional and stressful point for everybody. Remember I know exactly how you're feeling. Out of all the judges that's the advantage I have, cause I've stood there. And just, yeah have fun with it, relax and enjoy it. You know, take your moment." Cheryl said, and we all nodded along, taking in her advice.

"Give it all you got." Will. said, and they quickly told us the order, and lucky me I was the first to go. The other girls left the room and I stood awkwardly in front of Cheryl and Will, feeling the nerves from bootcamp come back with a vengeance.

"It's so great to see you again, and I feel really happy to have you here." Cheryl said, and as if on cue the keyboard player nodded at me, giving me the okay.

"_On the first page of our story  
>The future seemed so bright<br>Then this thing turned out so evil  
>I don't know why I'm still surprised<br>Even angels have their wicked schemes  
>And you take that to new extremes<br>But you'll always be my hero  
>Even though you've lost your mind<em>

_Just gonna stand there and watch me burn_  
><em>But that's alright because I like the way it hurts<em>  
><em>Just gonna stand there and hear me cry<em>  
><em>But that's alright because I love the way you lie<em>  
><em>I love the way you lie<em>  
><em>Ohhh, I love the way you lie"<em>

I held the last word for a few seconds before dropping it and smiling at the two judges. Cheryl smiled at me proudly, and Will.. clapped. I nodded, before exiting the room.

Gamu came out soon after me, and when she started crying I hugged her. I watched as Katie went into the room, and I just didn't understand her eyelashes, she honestly looked like Chloe from bootcamp. I could never take this girl serious.

It was Cher's turn finally, and I bit my lip, knowing she wasn't feeling exactly great. After a while in the room she exited, crying and not talking. Gamu left to go to her room and I looked up at Cher as she came to a stop in front of me.

She just shook her head and went up to her room, and I followed shortly after. I was dying inside, I knew I gave it my all, but was there a song that could have portrayed my voice better? I laid in bed that night, not sleeping at all, just wanting to get this over with.

* * *

><p>I woke up the next morning with good luck texts from all the guys and sent back a quick thanks, best wishes, and telling them to text me once they found out. Soon my phone was vibrating, and I picked it up immediately.<p>

"Good luck baby, mom and I are sitting and waiting patiently. Call me as soon as you know!" Kate said excitedly, but I could hear her eating in the background, her worst nervous habit.

"Thanks, I'm going to god eat some breakfast, I'll call you right away." I promised, before hanging up and getting ready slowly, wearing some leggings and a large off-the-shoulder shirt.

Soon my phone was vibrating again and I quickly picked up, hearing a mass of voices on the other end.

"Hello?" I asked, cursing at not looking at the caller ID.

"It's Aiden, Emily, I made it." He stated happily and I jumped up and down and blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay. I grinned like crazy and I congratulated him loudly. "Good luck Em, text me when you find out, alright?" He asked, and I nodded, before realizing he couldn't see me, and I responded out loud and said goodbye, before going downstairs, deciding to keep my phone on my today.

"Matt just texted me, he made it!" Cher yelled as I entered the kitchen, and she pulled me into a hug, squeezing me tightly.

"Aiden called me and told me he made it too!" I replied happily, before pouring myself a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. The other girls were still sleeping, and I giggled at the fact that the youngest girls were up the earliest.

After sitting around and watching television for a while, my phone started ringing again, and I hit accept once I saw Liam's name.

"Hello?" I asked, biting my lip. Cher smiled at me from the other end of the couch as the other girls all sat around the room, wondering what was going on.

"Simon said his head says no but his heart says yes." Zayn said solemnly. I shut my eyes, a single tear falling down my cheek, knowing Simon was a smart man, and used his brain.

"I guess it was just great that he decided to go with his heart!" Niall yelled, and I froze, dropping my phone on the ground. I screamed as I buried my face in my hands and cried with happiness. Gamu picked up my phone and raised it to her ear delicately.

"Hello? Yes, she's here. I'm afraid she's freaking out right now." Gamu replied with a laugh, before handing me my phone.

"Guys I'm so proud of you!" I said, wiping the tears away with the back of my hand, glad I wore water-proof mascara.

"Have you found out yet?" Liam asked suddenly, and the guys all sobered up immediately. Cheryl came down the stairs at that exact moment, and smiled sadly at us.

"Just about to, I'll call you in a minute, great job boys I'm so proud." I said softly, before ending the call after a chorus of '_good luck_'.

We were led to a field where they got some single shots, but I think we were all too nervous to really do anything too exciting.

Annastasia went in with Cheryl first, and I couldn't sit still. This was the moment. I was brought in within a few minutes, and I sat in the still-warm spot she must have sat in before me.

"How are you feeling?" Cheryl asked, the sad smile still on her face. I felt all the confidence I'd felt earlier drain from my body, and I knew rejection now would kill me.

"Nervous," I admitted in a whisper, and Cheryl grabbed my shaking hand, holding it tightly.

"Okay so, I've loved you since your audition. My initial instinct was that you are special. You have something no one else does. Personally, it feels like there is no confidence there. You make eye contact, but there is no belief, and it's a major issue." She told me, and I felt the pathetic smile fall from my face.

"I know Cheryl, and I've been working on it. I want this so bad. I didn't think I could want something this bad." I replied, biting my lip and covering my mouth with my hand, as I started crying.

"I think I can bring the confidence out in you, I'm going to take you through to the finals, alright?" Cheryl said, smiling at me. I grinned and she pulled me into a tight hug.

"Thank you, thank you, and thank you." I repeated, getting off the couch and exiting the room, grinning like a fool.

"I'm so happy for you Emily," Dermot said, wrapping his arms around me as I cried on his shoulder, completely overjoyed.

"I did it." I whispered into his ear, still shocked.

"I know, you were amazing," He whispered back, and I thanked him before exiting the house, pulling my phone from the waistband of my leggings. I quickly texted Kate, knowing if I called her she would just scream in my ear. I sent Aiden a text as well, before pulling up Liam's number, listening as it put my call through.

"Emily?" Liam's voice asked, and I replied I quiet yes. "One sec, let me get the rest of the boys." He explained, before I heard him shout away from the speaker. "Alright, you're on speakerphone, tell us what happened." They were all deadly silent, waiting for my response.

"Well Cheryl told me that my confidence is a major issue…" I trailed off, and I pretended to take a deep breath. "And that she is going to help me improve it." I whispered, and grinned as the boy all shouted happily.

"YOU DID IT!" Niall yelled, and the guys clapped loudly for me.

"We're going to Harry's until the live performances, but we'll find a day to come visit you alright?" Louis said, and the guys all agreed. We finished our call, and I walked back into the foyer, seeing Cher crying.

"What happened?" I asked, biting my lip as she walked over and wrapped her arms around me. She sobbed onto my shoulder, and I crushed her with my grip.

"I made it, I fucked up my performance completely and I made it!" She yelled, and I laughed at her joy, before going up to my room, grabbing my packed bag and heading back out into the black car, waiting to finally get home, knowing I had made it to the live shows and it'd only get better from here.


End file.
